Amsterdam’s Best Kept Street Art Secrets

Written by Secret City Trails on September 3, 2019. Posted in Amsterdam.

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Of course, there’s the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh and Stedelijk Museum surround Museumsquare and there’s hundreds of galleries, small and big, around the city. But art, doesn’t stay indoors in Amsterdam. Here’s 6 pieces of street art that we recommend for everyone to find on their next day out in/trip to Amsterdam. For more, play any of our Amsterdam discovery games.

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Curious tiny 3D faces… most of them decorate buildings in Paris, but some can be found in cities across the globe, one in Amsterdam! Gregos was born in 1972 and grew up in the northern suburbs of Paris. He’s a self-taught artist and started his career in the late 80s / early 90s. He invented his own 3D technique, and started to replicate his own face with different expressions; which turned into a collection of over 1000 faces! Play our big Amsterdam city centre adventure or a shorter riddle adventure.
Neighbourhood: Centre

We love this piece by Lady AIKO. Lady AIKO was born and grew up in Tokyo, and in the mid-90s she moved to New York City where her career really started… Her work is appreciated in the contemporary art scene and well respected in the graffiti and street art world too. She’s also been commissioned by well-known brands such as Louis Vuitton and Apple. Her impressive work can be found around the globe – and we’re lucky to have some pieces in Amsterdam!
Neighbourhood: Oud West

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Originally from the favelas in Sao Paulo, Eduardo Kobra is one of the most recognised muralists in the whole world! At NDSM Wharf, you will find a huge mural of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis (in Amsterdam) during WWII.
Neighbourhood: Noord

Have you ever spotted these small mosaic creatures while discovering the city? They are works by street artist, Invader, who is influenced by the Space Invaders, an arcade video game. The outcome of his “Invasion Strategy” is found in multiple cities and usually, you can find 20-50 pieces per city! Go out and find them!
Neighbourhood: most probably all 😉

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The original motive of TLP was to combine making art and travelling… They started making art in Amsterdam in 1998, focusing on making visually disappointing streets more vibrant. It’s not something to take for granted that this mural still exists on the wall of Prinsengracht 70. First, everything seemed to be alright, the kind owner of the building gave permission for TLP to create black and white image of a totem pole lad being constructed by a Bob Gibson robot. But then the Amsterdam city council’s officials came by and told that TLP would have needed an extra permission to paint the building. Luckily, officials allowed them to finish the characters, but the city council needed to decide whether to keep mural or have a bland wall. In the end, also this story got its happy ending, with the power and support of the local residents and Dutch press, the mural earned an artistic merit and a cultural significance. Explore more with our Jordaan Discovery game.
Neighbourhood: Jordaan

[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”6. WALKING ALONE BY ICY&SOT” image=”//stg-secretcitytrails-staging.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/dsc00280-2.jpg” _builder_version=”4.16″ body_font=”Ubuntu|300|||||||” z_index_tablet=”500″ global_colors_info=”{}”]ICY and SOT are brothers from Tabriz, Iran, currently based in Brooklyn, New York. ICY and SOT started doing stencils in 2006, and they have contributed to Iranian and international urban art culture through their artwork. Their art is provoking and aims to communicate about human rights, social and political issues, capitalism and ecological justice.
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It’s gonna be fun.

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